San Antonio Vacation

We took a family vacation over this last weekend. San Antonio proved to be quite fun! On the way down, we stopped at the Natural Cavern Museum. This was very interesting and the kids had a good time (even though they had no clue it was educational) even through the steep hills of hiking and climbing stairs. That night we walked the Riverwalk and stalked the Dallas Cowboy players. Jason, Breanne and I also made a quick stop to Coyote Ugly - who can pass up a chance to have drink in that bar? Jason had a beer and Breanne and I shared a Wusskey.... yum-o! The next morning we were at Sea World bright and early. I had never been and from an adult's perspective it's amazing. The kids had such a good time and considering the amount of walking we did from sun-up to sun-down and factoring in the heat, they did exceptionally well. The next day we went back to Sea World for half the day, then went on a Riverwalk Cruise and dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. This was fun as well. The next morning we visited The Alamo and the Mexican Market, ate at Mi Tierra and headed home. Because I didn't get to blog about our trip on a daily basis (as I had planned) here are a few eventful things from our trip:

• Colton put gum in my hair. We haven't figured out why exactly. Our best guess is he was done with it?!
• I fell climbing a steep rocky hill. Did you know flip flops aren't good for hiking?
• Cameron has four photos with Dallas Cowboy players.
• We witnessed God's hands wrapped around us as we saw a car on the highway spin out of control. It had to be within 10 feet of us. Jason had some great defensive driving and somehow steered us away from hitting that car head-on.
• Cameron is allergic to hotel soap.
• We did not make one trip to any tourist attraction without getting lost. We officially had to put Delilah (Breanne's GPS) in timeout.
• Mom stood on a vent on the sidewalk and flashed the city of San Antonio.
• Several members of our family committed a felony touching those rocks at the Natural Cavern Museum. I was not one of them =)
• Cameron and Jason figured out how fun it is to prank call random hotel guests.
• Courtnie hosted a dance party for us in her room. She even made tickets for her party guests.
• And note to self: bring Spray n Wash every time you leave the house. I sure could have used a bottle (or two) while away!

Be sure to take a look at all of our pictures from our trip: http://picasaweb.google.com/bran0224

Rainy, Lazy Week

This has been an odd week for me - the rain, the rain and the constant rain combined with Cameron being gone for 4 days staying with my mom and then Courtnie traded his place for 3 days. It's just been a different kind of week. Thus, my camera was allowed some time to rest. What pictures I do have to share this week are gifts from two wonderful people - Ms. Leann and my Dad. Thank you both =)

Monday we went to Chuck-e-Cheese with some friends. The kids had alot of fun spending their tokens they've been saving throughout the last year. (Did you know Chuck-e-Cheese gives tokens for good grades?) Tuesday we stayed home. My plan was to get some things accomplished around the house. That was the plan. The bunnies were trying to get out of the box and I ended-up having to cover it to keep them in. After much thought, talking with Courtnie and sharing tears with her we released them in the backyard. One of the bunnies was dieing so I held and loved it until he finally let go. My guess is he got hurt the one night he managed to jump out of the box. The other three seemed happy to explore. Back to my housework - except my vacuum cleaner died. (Imagine that! Remember my bad vacuum cleaner karma?) That night we went to dinner with Grandmum and made a quick stop to purchase my new Shark Navigator. OMG... I LOVE IT! And it's purple!!! It almost makes me want to vacuum more often, almost, no promises. Thursday it rained some more (reminder, I can't ever remember the last day it hasn't rained). We took the kids to Half Price Bookstore to turn in their summer reading log and get some freebies. This was actually more enjoyable than I imagined. My kids love some books! Afterwards we had a couple of rain-free hours and we took them swimming to release some energy that was long overdue. Friday, Cameron and Jason woke up long before dawn to go on a guided stripper fishing tour with my Dad and brother. They had fun and brought home dinner. Thanks boys! Here are pictures from this week that I bummed. This is Colton with his Twinkie Car he made/ate at school.

Back to Our Roots

This past weekend our family took a mini vacation to Louisiana. My Dad's family lives there and of course Jason's family and extended family is there as well. We left Saturday morning, checked-in to our hotel, sent the kids to the grandparent's house and Jason, Dad and I hit the casinos. I will admit, I was VERY nervous going into them. I felt like people would be stalking me (kinda like our trip to the Dallas Museum of Arts) watching my every move. I think I've seen a few too many casino-type movies. It was very different from the movies though. After about an hour and being down $24, we left. That was about all I could take (Jason too). The phrase "cash out!" has a new and very real meaning to me now. After that we met up with the kids and grandparents and had a BBQ and just enjoyed the nice weather. The kids had a blast on the 3 acre lot with four-wheelers, bubbles, toys, balls, Cowboy Golf, and just the nature itself. The next day we checked-out and decided on an last-minute stop at the Alligator Park. I'm so glad we did. That was awesome!!!

And here is a video of the alligator feeding. This was super neat to watch!

Camp Goddard '09

Cameron went to Camp Goddard again this summer with a friend who attends Saturn Road Church of Christ in Garland. He had such a great time last year that he wanted to go this year. And one of Courtnie's best friends also attends that church and was going for the first time so both of my kids went together. I'm really excited they have eachother at times like this. It's very comforting to know they are away from home for a full week and yet still have eachother close by. Since I did not go to play paparazzi, I pretty much thought I'd never get a glimpse into their week. However, a few of the counselors snapped pictures and put them on their Facebook at which time I was able to snag for myself. Here is what we have:

Bowling, Park, DMA, and Six Flags

Last week was a very busy and memorable week. We took the kids bowling on Monday and afterwards went to get ice cream and headed to the park. At the park Courtnie found four bunnies. Since then they have grown so much and just this morning escaped the box they have been staying in. It will be very soon that they go to a farm to live. I'll have a post about this next. We also went to the Dallas Museum of Art. The Museum area wasn't great - the art was exceptional but the experience itself was humiliating. Because we had children with us we were basically stalked the entire time by a Museum Attendant. Once we got to the Children's Area we all felt more comfortable and had a wonderful experience. The kids were also treated to Six Flags with their favorite Aunt B and Travis. Colton and I had a special play date with some good friends. The kids had a blast!! And of course we went swimming! Who can go a week without swimming in this Texas heat???

Bunny Update

As of last night the bunnies slept quite a bit still with just a few minutes in the day of being out of their little huddle. But today has been a different story. The tiniest one gets out and hops from here to there and back again but then he gets frantically lost looking for his siblings to rejoin them underneath the covers. Because of this, they took a field trip with me to work today so I could make sure they stayed warm when they were done playing. This evening they have been WILD. They are super busy and even trying to dig, climb out and fighting over the same piece of lettuce and all definitely have different personalities. They only took the milk that very first feeding and I truly believe they were dehydrated and hungry; they didn't even move when we held them in our hands. Today they need to be held with two hands and for short periods of time before they want down to play and they have been out playing just as much as they have slept. They still stay together when they sleep, all nestled on top of eachother - it's soooo cute! We even heard one cry aloud when someone tried to pet him. This has truly been a neat experience for myself and the kids. I was so worried that we had made the wrong choice taking them out of the park but I'm certain now we did well. They are thriving and so active, even sniffing our hands when we get close to them. I'm so thankful for this opportunity. Here is a video I took of them playing and eating:

Bunny Rescue

Today at the park Courtnie found baby bunnies, what she called "chipmunks", huddled together in the mulch right in the middle of the playground. What did we do? We took them home. I was worried that we made the wrong choice but after getting them home and reading a bit about them, they were dehydrated (the hair on their necks was spiked and their pee was a brown color). We took them to the Vet and he confirmed their dehydration and told us how to feed them. We bought goat's milk, eyedroppers and veggie mulch. The first thing we do when we get home is feed them. Two of of the bunnies enjoyed their feedings and the other two weren't having it. Persistence paid off and we learned to just drop the milk on their lips and they will suckle it in. So cute!! We even had them opening their mouths and could see their tiny teeth and tongues lapping at it. While reading about raising abandoned bunnies I learned two very interesting facts - mother rabbits nurse their bunnies for 5 minutes a day and that they stimulate their genitalia to teach them to tee tee. So what does a good, proud owner of bunnies do? I stimulated their genitalia, which leads me to the conclusion that they are all boys. However, I'm very certain I could have lived my entire life without ever having to stroke a bunnies manhood. They are currently nestled in their box right now under a lamp. I'm praying they survive. I'd feel awful if they didn't make it, but really what chance would they have had in the middle of a playground with children everywhere and no momma to feed them?

Skating, More Swimming and ASI x2

Last week we kept the kids super busy again. Who really wants to stay indoors all day long, especially when four people start to feel smoothered and irritated with eachother?! Monday we went skating. This was fun for about 30 minutes, after that time I turned on my mean face and told them to skate and get away from me. Really I did. On Tuesday we met with Jenni and her two girls for swimming. This was alot of fun and, believe it or not, very relaxing. Thursday we went to open gym at ASI. The kids all love this! And I took the time then to snap some good pictures. Normally I spend the time gabbing with friends. Really I do. Friday at Mothers Day Out the kids' field trip was to ASI again and they just as much fun then as they did the day before. Colton also finished his swim lessons and I swear he might be the next Michael Phelps!! Cameron had his last tournament of the season. We played everyday but Tuesday and took home 3rd place. Great job Seminoles!!! Here are some pictures from last week:

Colton as an Only Child

Cameron and Courtnie went to Camp Goddard last week with Saturn Road, all the way in Oklahoma. I'll give their week another post. This left a full week of Colton having Mommy and Daddy all to himself. Monday Colton and I stayed home and did much of nothing - it was soooo nice! He did start swim lessons that afternoon which he was stoked about. Tuesday we went shopping to spend a gift card someone gave me and decided to stop by Build a Bear. I had a coupon for a free animal so we got a new dog (AKA - Dawggie) and I splurged and bought him a Texas Rangers shirt. Colton was VERY proud! Thursday he was treated to the Dallas Museum of Science and Nature with his Aunt B. They assure me he was quite the tour-guide!

Movies and a Birthday Party

We didn't do too much last week. Monday we went to see Hannah Montana: The Movie for a big fee of $.50. What a steal! The kids all loved the movie, as did myself. (Did I really just admit that in writing for all to see?!) Wednesday we had Mother's Day Out and Cameron left that night for my Aunt and Uncle's Franch. Courtnie's birthday party was Thursday and she left that evening to join Cameron for some wildlife adventure and much-needed time away from home. Here are some pictures from the week: